H-4 is
an Nonimmigrant Status with the Restriction of No Employment Permit

Dr. William:

I
am in H1B status, and I am in the process of applying for the Green Card with my
employer's sponsorship. My wife is in the H-4 status, and she can not work
because of no employment permit. We want to know if my wife can accept
some kind of in-home daycare job, or even have her
own self-employment business
in U.S. with her H-4 status?

Answer:

H-4 is an
nonimmigrant status that is given to spouse, with the restriction
of noemployment
permit. According to U.S. immigration law, if
an alien is not authorized to work, this means that alien cannot work at all,
this includes no in-home daycare, no self-employment, and no running one's own
business.

The only exception is the volunteer work or
charitable work without compensation. The alien may take care of a friend's
child on occasion, but it should not involve compensation and on a regular
schedule.